Basil is a key ingredient in many recipes.
However the best basil to grow for cooking will depend on 3 items:
- The variety of basil you use
- Whether you use dried, fresh or homegrown basil
- How easy it is to get your basil types.
The best basil to grow
Below is our comparison of the different varieties of basil.
- Cinnamon Basil – score 5 (out of 5)
- Lemon Basil – score 4.8
- Holy Basil – score 4.7
- Red Rubin Basil – score 4.5
- Thai Basil – score 4.3
- Genovese Basil – score 4.3
- Lettuce Leaf Basil – score 4.0
- Minette Basil – score 3.7
Example recipes
Below is our rating for growing basil. In addition you will find example recipes for each variety in our Basil Recipes guide
Our recipes do get updated, and new ones added every week. The easiest way to keep updated is to follow me on either my Instagram or Facebook page.
The best basil for cooking
Please find below our comparison – there is more info further down the page on the rating system we used.
No 1 – Cinnamon Basil
Ideal for Mexican or South American recipes, with a very spicy, fragrant aroma and flavour.
- Flavour – 5/5
- Easy to grow – 5/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 5/5
Also know as Mexican spice basil this is well worth using. Can be very difficult to get in shops but easy to grow.
No 2 – Lemon Basil
Ideal for South Asian or North East African Dishes. Very intense citrus (lemony) aroma.
- Flavour – 5/5
- Easy to grow – 4.5/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 5/5
The unique flavour of lemon basil is a must. In addition a key benefit is that it can be used in many different ways – for example eaten raw with a salad, used to season many cooked dishes or even used in sweet dessert
No 3 – Holy Basil
Ideal to grow if you like cooking spicy Thai dishes. Also called Tulasi basil it has a very peppery flavour – often called hot basil.
- Flavour – 5/5
- Easy to grow – 4/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 5/5
Please note it is different from Thai Basil and a lot more peppery. Fresh Holy basil is not available in many shops which is why it’s the ideal type to grow at home.
No 4 – Red Rubin Basil
Ideal for tomato dishes, salads and especially great in cocktails. Stronger than regular basil with striking red colour.
- Flavour – 4.5/5
- Easy to grow – 4/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 5/5
It is often used in recipes like Basil Pesto, but when using it simply use less than other basil types (unless you like a strong basil flavour).
No 5 – Thai Basil
Ideal for Thai, Laos or Vietnamese Recipes, with the standard basil flavour combined with a strong liquorice and anise flavour.
- Flavour – 5/5
- Easy to grow – 5/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 3/5
This is just about our own favourite basil, with a great flavour. It is easy to grow however it’s also available in lots of shops.
No 6 – Genovese Basil
Ideal for Italian, French or Greek recipes and very easy to grow.
- Flavour – 5/5
- Easy to grow – 5/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 3/5
However it is probably the easiest basil variety to buy fresh in shops which is why we haven’t given it top marks.
No 7 – Lettuce Leaf Basil
Often used for sandwiches, pesto and salads it has very large leaves with a nice subtle basil flavour.
- Flavour – 3/5
- Easy to grow – 4/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 5/5
This type of basil has a lovely flavour, and great as a substitute for normal lettuce. It is not available in many shops but not that hard to grow at home
No 8 – Minette Basil
Often used for pizzas but great in pasta and salads. Small leaved with lots of flavour
- Flavour – 3/5
- Easy to grow – 3/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 5/5
Minette Basil is easy to grow and has a stronger flavour than most basils sold in shops. However there are better options you could try
How we rated each type
We firmly believe that basil grown at home has some major advantages – not only in that it will have the best possible flavour but also that will allow you to grow varieties not always available in shops.
However, in our rating we have not only included the flavour they add, but also how difficult they are to grow.
Please note… The Basil seed or plant cost is only an estimate based on the latest time we checked, follow the links for today’s cost.
Cooking or growing at home?
The different basil types all have their own unique flavour, and the type you use will be linked to what you are cooking.
In our rating below we have included a score for the flavour of the basil types. But in addition we have also included how easy it is to get fresh types in shops.
More information
Hopefully our guide will help you decide on what type of basil to grow at home.
For more information have a look at different basil types
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